All the fun of a village fete, but with a Shoreditch twist Beer / bands / cider festival / morris dancers / maypoles / The Foragers food / bunting / fete games / May Day fancy dress parade / General May Day madness Live: John Langan Band The Bonfire Band Bard The Elasticated Waste Band Cash Cows The Belles of London City And food courtesy of The Foragers Who could forget the hype of The Book Club’s Basecamp, held during London 2012 where thousands came and partied day and night at the alfresco pop-up bar and kitchen, whilst cheering on Team GB on the big screens. The atmosphere was electric! Not ones to rest on our laurels, The Book Club will once again be popping over the road to Leonard Street Car Park, this time to host a traditional May Day fete with all the British eccentricity you’ve come to expect from us, and as usual, it’s completely FREE! Come celebrate spring time in all its glory as we bring the British village fete to the Shoreditch triangle. Picture the scene. Marvellous springtime blooms, bundles of bunting, a maypole adorned with brightly coloured ribbons and the capital’s most cosmopolitan morris dancers (they’ve danced with David Cameron don’t you know!), The Belles of London City. Add to this a fully stocked bar and the village bandstand where you can witness the pure folk frenzy of bands including The John Langan Band and Cash Cows in an all day jamming session hosted by Jack Abraham of Live & Unamplified. It’s the perfect way to start the season the way you mean to go on; sitting in the sunshine, drinking, playing a few games and... dancing around a pole to celebrate fertility! The foodies behind The Dead Dolls Club; The Foragers, will be serving up wild grub, home grown and freshly foraged for the day. Try a delicious Venison burger with hedge garlic mayonnaise, wild pastys with freshly foraged pigeon or a vegetarian roll with nettles, dandelion & goats cheese, and to wash it all down we’ll have lashing and lashings of cider and perry as The Book Club host its first ever cider festival. Knock back the scrumpy and unleash your inner Wurzal! Whilst you’re getting involved in our traditional(ish!) fete games, keep your eyes peeled for some local characters including the village idiot, Jack O Green, the town crier and the odd Obby ‘Orse and don’t forget to have your fortune read with flowers. What will your future hold? Love, luck, a kebab at the end of the night? Only the flowers will tell... And ladies, rummage through your wardrobes for your most virginal-looking frocks because The Book Club’s May Queen will be crowned with a flower headdress at 4pm. Think Ophelia meets Florence Welch. And for everyone else, dress to match the English eccentric vibe and you might win a rather cool prize. Want to escape to the country without ever leaving the comfort of Hackney? Get yourself down to A Fete Worse Than Death and celebrate the coming of spring with The Book Club.